MLB Homerun Derby 2022 Betting Preview
18 July 2022
This event is known to be one of the most exciting events in All-Star action. The Home Run Derby features some of the best batters in the league at the moment.
Of course, there is one player leading the charge as he's already won a few times. Not only are we going to take a look at that player but his competition as well. We'll also take a look at the format for this year.
Many already know that the competition is set in Los Angeles this year. However, some may not know the scheduling and the bracket for the event. We'll give you all of the news on that and the odds for each of the players.
Lastly, we'll make our own pick for who we think will win this year's competition. Pete Alonso might lead the odds, but we think he'll have some serious competition.
MLB Home Run Derby Format 2022-23 Season
Before we take a look at the participants, we have to go over the format. There are a couple of rules that each participant will have to follow as well.
Each contestant gets three minutes in the first and second rounds to hit as many home runs as possible. Contestants in the finals, or the third round, get two minutes.
Each contestant gets a bonus of 30 seconds at the end of each regulation period, and this time can be increased to 60 seconds if the contestant hits a home run of at least 440 feet.
Each contestant gets one 45-second time out during each regulation period. Any round ending in a tie will be decided by a 60-second "swing off" with no time-outs or bonus time.
MLB Home Run Derby Participants 2022-23
This is where it gets interesting because there are so many notable names this year. One of which is the 2019 and 2021 Home Run Derby winner, Pete Alonso.
Alonso hit 57 home runs to win the event in 2019 and 74 to win in 2021. There's no shock as to why he comes in as the favorite, but he's got a bit of competition this time.
Joining Alonso is Juan Soto of the Nationals, Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies, Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, and Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez, José Ramírez of the Guardians, and Rangers Corey Seager. These players will face off in a bracket elimination, starting with Kyle Schwarber and Albert Pujols.
Home Run Derby Bracket:
- No. 1 Kyle Schwarber vs. No. 8 Albert Pujols
- No. 2 Pete Alonso vs. No. 7 Ronald Acuña Jr.
- No. 3 Corey Seager vs. No. 6 Julio Rodriguez
- No. 4 Juan Soto vs. No. 5 José Ramírez
As we mentioned, Alonso comes in as the favorite in this one at +190. However, let's take a look at the rest of the player's odds and make our pick for this event.
Home Run Derby Odds & Betting Prediction
There are some great players in this Home Run Derby, including Alonso. The player that sticks out to us the most, however, is Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber currently ranks second in home runs this season with 29. He's just behind Aaron Judge, who unfortunately isn't participating in the Home Run Derby this year.
Here are the odds for the Home Run Derby:
- Alonso: +190
- Schwarber: +330
- Soto: +650
- Rodríguez: +700
- Acuña: +750
- Seager: +1200
- Ramírez: +1800
- Pujols: +2400
The top three, in our opinion, are the participants with the best chance of winning this event. However, Schwarber has been on fire this season, netting five more home runs than Alonso. Because of this, we'll actually take Schwarber to win this one, dethroning Alonso.
Betting Pick: Kyle Schwarber +330
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
